‘My Terrence was a fine man, a good father. He and Jimmy were very close before he died.’
‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ Lucinda said in a hushed voice.
‘Been a long time now. Remember that awful ice storm in January of 1998? Terrence was up in Pennsylvania on business and tried to make it home. He ended up in the middle of a multi-car pile-up. He didn’t survive. Somehow, Jimmy seems to hold me responsible for that and blame me as if I engineered the whole disaster. He’s still carrying that anger, along with the memory of the taunts of his classmates because of the color of my skin. I know of at least one occasion when he told his friends that I was the family maid.’
Lucinda felt bile rise in her throat. The younger generation was supposed to be beyond this superficial appraisal of a person’s value – and yet it persists.
‘And Jimmy’s not just angry at me,’ Charlotte continued. ‘He’s angry at his dad – for dying, for marrying a woman of color, for not being here. That’s why I keep that picture of my husband and me in the bedroom. I used to have some photos of us on the mantle, but Jimmy destroyed them one afternoon.’
Lucinda felt the woman’s pain pressing on her. She didn’t want to add to it but it appeared to be the direction the investigation was going. ‘Mrs Van Dyke, can you give me the names of Jimmy’s friends?’
‘I can’t say I know any of their last names and not all of their first names. He’s been hiding a lot from me since that English teacher broke his heart.’
‘What English teacher?’ Jake and Lucinda asked together.
‘Ms Schaffer. I told him he was being foolish. But somehow he thought that once he graduated from high school, she was going to marry him. It was the craziest thing. After he proposed, she cut him off. Blocked him from sending her texts, “unfriended” him on Facebook and never answered his email. But I think she started talking to him again just recently. I think she’s back in his life. In fact, I wondered if she loaned him that truck last weekend.’
‘Ma’am, I hate to ask this but do you think Jimmy was sexually involved with Ms Schaffer?’ Jake asked.
‘I know he wanted to be, sir, but I would think a school teacher would have more sense than that. Wouldn’t you?’
Lucinda and Jake looked at each other, and Charlotte read their faces. ‘You do think that’s possible, don’t you? Not just now but back when he was still in school?’
‘We don’t know,’ Lucinda said with a shake of her head. ‘It is a question that has crossed our minds, ma’am, but, honestly, we do not know the answer.’
‘Well, you’d better find the answer. If she did that to my son, she’ll do it to someone else’s son. Who knows how many boys she has manipulated? If that was her truck Jimmy was driving and that truck was up at the high school, she was behind it.’
‘Ma’am, could we have a look in Jimmy’s room?’
Charlotte stared at them and folded her arms across her chest. ‘No. Not now. This is getting too serious, too fast. I need to talk to an attorney before I do anything or say anything else. I would appreciate it if you would leave now. I apologize for closing the door to the hospitality of my home but I have to think of my son’s best interests right now. Obviously, no one else is.’
Jake and Lucinda mumbled appreciation for the coffee and apologized for upending her day but left without objection. Lucinda dropped Jake off at his car in the high school parking lot and returned to the Justice Center to file a Be-On-the-Look-Out for Jimmy Van Dyke and his car.
FORTY-EIGHT
After taking care of the BOLO, Lucinda checked for messages on her desk phone. One was from Leticia Fletcher, the CASA attorney handling Amber and Andy’s case. Lucinda returned the call.
‘Amber’s abuser was denied bail for the time being. However, the judge did set a low bail for Amber’s mother. As soon as she was released, her attorney took her over to family court where they filed a petition for an emergency hearing for custody. In the document, she stated that the abuse allegations were a misunderstanding,’ Leticia said.
‘You’re fighting this, aren’t you?’
‘You think I should?’
‘I can’t believe you asked that,’ Lucinda snapped. ‘That woman wants to get her hands on those children to intimidate them into recanting their statements. She doesn’t care what happened to Amber or she would have done something about it as soon as her daughter told her what was happening.’
Leticia laughed. ‘I was hoping you’d feel that way. So I can expect you at court for the hearing tomorrow morning?’
In that moment, Lucinda felt overwhelmed, unable to meet all the demands on her, but she could not ignore this responsibility to a young girl. ‘Yes,’ she said, exhaling a deep breath to punctuate the answer.
‘Good. And it might even get better. CPS located the family of the children’s father in Maryland. He has absolutely no interest in Amber or Andy—’
‘I thought you said this was good news.’
‘Give me a minute. It gets better. His parents and his siblings are interested in these children. They are willing to step forward to assume permanent custody. In fact, they expressed interest in adopting the kids. Maryland CPS has started an inquiry into their fitness as foster parents. They all have decided that whichever family member does best in that analysis will be the custodial parents. As soon as that’s determined, that couple will come down here and hire an attorney.’
‘Can I share that with Dr Spencer?’
‘Yes, but tell him that it wouldn’t be wise for Amber and Andy to know just yet until we can be more certain of the likely outcome.’
‘You got it. I’ll see you in family court in the morning.’ She hung up under the assumption that, while she was in court, Jake could follow up with Jimmy if he’d been located or bring Brittany Schaffer in for an interview if not. Or maybe he should go talk to Principal Rose Johnson about the possibility of sexual misconduct.
She was still mulling it over when her cell rang. ‘Jake, I’m so glad you called. I was just—’
‘You’re not going to be glad when I tell you why.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Well, it started out OK. When I returned to my office, the forensic tire expert had sent me a report by email that identified the type of tire on the red truck that was parked in front of the school. I rushed over to the school to get a look at the tires on Schaffer’s truck and they were the same make and appeared to have the same wear patterns.’
‘That sounds good,’ Lucinda said.
‘Yeah. Then I got a call from the Wicked Witch.’
‘Oh dear.’
‘Command performance time in DC. Apparently, ATF headquarters is bitching about getting shoved off the case and is trying to get back on it. She thinks that my presence is mandatory. My flight leaves in two hours.’
‘Damn her. Get back as soon as you can. Call me when you get to your hotel.’ Lucinda hung up, cursing bureaucrats and wondering how she’d handle it all on her own.
FORTY-NINE
Since Lucinda would be tied up in court in the morning, she moved her plans to visit Brittany Schaffer to that evening. She stopped by the apartment to feed Chester and grab a bite to eat.
Brittany’s home, in a sprawling suburban community, was small but the lot was spacious. She pulled into the drive and parked behind Brittany’s red pick-up truck.
Lucinda rang the doorbell and heard movement inside for a full minute before Brittany answered. ‘What do you want?’ she said.
‘Just a few minutes of your time.’
Brittany stretched her arm across the doorframe, blocking entry. ‘What about?’
‘I thought you’d want to know that we did check with the taxi services about your alibi.’
‘You found the one that gave us a ride home Saturday, right?’
Lucinda stared at her without responding.
Brittany dropped her arm. ‘Oh, all right, come in. But I’m really busy. I have a lot of papers to grade, so you ne
ed to make this quick.’
Lucinda followed the teacher into her kitchen and sat across from her at a table in the corner of the room. ‘The good news is that Commonwealth Cab did confirm giving you and Tom a ride home Saturday night.’
‘Fine. I knew they would. And I know they didn’t come back here on Sunday morning.’
Lucinda smiled. ‘That’s right. But the bad news,’ Lucinda continued, ‘is that City Taxi informed me that they did pick up a man here early that day.’
‘Someone is fudging their books – covering up an unauthorized use of the cab.’
‘Sounds like the whole universe is plotting against you, Ms Schaffer. But the other thing is that both taxi companies confirmed Tom’s story that your truck was not here.’
‘I told you: the truck was in the garage.’
‘But Tom said that he parked in the garage when he first got here.’
‘He’s mistaken.’
‘He’s lying?’ Lucinda asked.
‘No, mistaken. Confused. Whatever.’
‘There’s another little problem, Ms Schaffer. You told me you never loaned out your truck and yet we have a witness who said that you loaned it to students quite often.’
‘That witness is mistaken.’
‘Oh, he’s lying, too?’
‘I didn’t say that,’ Brittany said.
‘And then there are the witnesses at the high school on the morning of the explosion. They said the truck that pulled away in a hurry looked just like yours.’
‘There are a lot of trucks like mine around.’
‘I think the witnesses were pretty certain it was the same truck when they came up and looked at yours in the parking lot.’
‘They are mistaken.’
‘Wow, there are a lot of mistaken, confused people around here, aren’t there? Either that or a whole bunch of liars.’
Brittany folded her arms across her chest and stared up at the ceiling.
‘Unfortunately, Ms Schaffer, forensic evidence cannot prevaricate and we have evidence placing your vehicle at the high school that morning,’ Lucinda said, stretching the truth a bit.
‘That is not possible. My truck was here. So how could there be any evidence?’
‘You ever watch CSI, Ms Schaffer?’
‘Who doesn’t?’
‘You ever hear about tire track evidence?’
Brittany’s face paled. ‘Yes.’
‘Well, the FBI analyzed the casts of the tire tracks in the grass in front of the school – and surprise! They are a match for the tires on your truck.’
‘OK. So I did loan my truck to someone over the weekend. But it wasn’t to anyone attending Woodrow Wilson High.’
‘Who did you loan it to, Ms Schaffer?’ Lucinda asked.
‘I prefer not to answer that question.’
‘This is a murder investigation, ma’am – that is not an option.’
‘Fine. I refuse to answer any more of your questions without an attorney present.’
‘That’s your choice, Ms Schaffer. I can either take you to the station now or you can agree to come there voluntarily tomorrow afternoon with the lawyer of your choice.’
‘What if I refuse to accept the boundaries of your arbitrary options?’ Brittany asked.
‘Then I will take you in by force – in handcuffs. Although it is quite possible that the media will find out that you came to the station of your own free will, I can guarantee that they will know about it if you arrive with your hands pinned behind your back.’
‘You are a bully,’ Brittany said.
‘Your choice, Ms Schaffer.’
Lucinda heard a loud thump off to her right and turned her head in the direction of the noise. It seemed as if it came from behind the closed door – probably a bedroom door. ‘Who else is in this house?’
‘No one,’ Brittany said.
‘I’m not deaf – I heard someone in the other room,’ Lucinda said, rising to her feet.
‘You are imagining things,’ Brittany said, leaning back in the chair.
‘Would you like to ask that person to come out here right now?’
‘There is no other person.’
A crashing sound was followed by the tinkling of falling glass. Lucinda raced to the door, pulling her weapon. She turned the knob but it was locked, stepped to the side and kicked it open. She spun into the space with her revolver drawn. ‘Police! Step out and reveal yourself. Keep your hands visible at all times,’ she said as she scanned the room.
‘Excuse me,’ Brittany said, ‘you are violating my civil rights by searching my home without a warrant. I assure you that I will file a complaint.’
Lucinda ignored her and focused on a crooked venetian blind with bent slats hanging in front of a smashed window on the far side of the room. Lucinda rushed towards it. As she did, she heard the unmistakable sound of a rising garage door. She fled the room, running to the front door.
She reached the porch just in time to see a ratty old Nissan burst out of its enclosure and weave erratically down the drive. She raised her gun and aimed at it but pulling the trigger became too risky too fast. The driver fishtailed the car, turning on to the street, where the vehicle had a string of bungalows as a backdrop. She couldn’t take the chance that a bullet might enter a home and kill or injure someone who lived there. She lowered her gun, certain that she’d just uncovered the hiding place of Jimmy Van Dyke.
Back in the house, she loomed over Brittany. ‘Who was that?’
‘I don’t know. I imagine it is fortunate that I had a police officer here to uncover an unknown intruder in my home.’
‘Cut the crap,’ Lucinda snapped. ‘That was Jimmy Van Dyke, wasn’t it?’
‘Who?’
Lucinda wanted to throttle the woman. ‘Are you sexually involved with Jimmy Van Dyke?’
‘My sex life is none of your business.’
‘It is if the affair started while he was still a student.’
‘Are you accusing me of unethical behavior with a student?’
‘Not exactly. I suspect that you have been involved in an illicit relationship with Jimmy Van Dyke for quite some time but I doubt that he is the only student you have taken advantage of – that adds up to unethical conduct with multiple students. How many of them? And for how long?’
‘As I said, officer, I am not answering any questions until and unless I have an attorney present to represent me.’
Lucinda stifled her urge to correct the woman for calling her ‘officer’. Lucinda knew it was intentional and a deliberate sign of disrespect but she refused to take the bait this time. ‘I will contact the sex crimes division and open an investigation about your behavior. Just the fact that we are looking into what you may have done with students should be sufficient to get you suspended – if we’re lucky, the school district will make it without pay.’
‘I will sue you and your department and the school district if this phony investigation becomes public information.’
‘You do that, Ms Schaffer. Your case will wither away the moment we find the concrete proof we need to file charges against you.’
‘Oh no, officer, that will be the moment that my attorney will have the proof of harassment that she needs for a successful law-suit.’
Lucinda knew that the courts could look at the situation that way and it made her angry and even more determined to ferret out the truth. She pulled a card out of her pocket and set it down on the end table beside Brittany. With a saccharine smile plastered on her lips, she said, ‘My card, Ms Schaffer. I’ll expect a call if Jimmy Van Dyke shows up here again.’
Brittany wouldn’t even look in the direction of the table. Lucinda wanted to grab her by the hair and force her to face the surface, but she knew better than to follow through on that impulse. She stared down at the other woman with as much disdain as her facial features could express. Then she turned away and set out in search of Jimmy Van Dyke.
FIFTY
Lucinda called the dispatche
r as she walked to the car. After she provided information about the sighting of Jimmy Van Dyke, she was assured that a patrol car would be sent to his mother’s home, the Walking Dog, the high school and any other place she might later specify.
After doing that, Lucinda drove off, checking for voicemail messages. She had one from Charley and another from Jake. She checked the time and saw it was still early enough to return Charley’s call.
‘Oh, Lucy,’ Charley said. ‘Amber and Andy are scared.’
‘What happened, Charley?’
‘Amber’s mom called her and said that she’d be picking them up after she went to court tomorrow morning. How come she’s not still in jail?’
‘The judge granted her bond. And, right now, no one knows if family court will allow her to pick up her kids.’
‘That’s what the social worker said. She came by right after Amber talked to her mom. Daddy said that he’s going to tell the judge what he thinks about that. The social worker said that maybe they’d have to go with their mother but everybody was going to fight that and try to keep them here.’
‘That’s right, Charley. I’m going to be there, too, to tell the judge what I know. We’ll do everything we can.’
‘But Amber says she’s going to run away tonight after Daddy goes to sleep.’
‘Did you tell your dad?’
‘No, she made me promise not to before she told me.’
‘Well, your dad sets the alarm every night, doesn’t he?’ Lucinda asked.
‘Yes, but that doesn’t stop her from leaving.’
‘If the alarm goes off, you call me right away. We’ll find her. Tell her that I talked to the CASA lawyer who is representing her and her brother. She told me that she’d already drawn up a stay in case the judge rules in favor of Amber’s mom.’
‘What does that mean?’
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